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Jerry West's legacy: a relentless pursuit of winning over eight decades in the NBA

Related Topics: Jerry West, LeBron James

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On a warm morning late in the summer of 1969, Jerry West and a friend were running down San Vicente Blvd. in Santa Monica, on the western edge of Los Angeles, when a man on the street passed him. "You're a choker," he growled.

It was one of the few times West had been willing to go out in public in several months, needing to start training for the coming season. West's Los Angeles Lakers had lost in seven games to the Boston Celtics in the Finals that May.